Arsenal faces no pressure as Manchester City secures a significant victory to maintain title contention.

MANCHESTER, England — And then it was three.

With just six minutes remaining at Anfield last Sunday, Arsenal held a nine-point advantage at the summit of the Premier League standings. However, following two late goals against Liverpool and a decisive victory over Fulham on Wednesday, the margin has narrowed to three points. This development places renewed pressure on Arsenal as they prepare for their match against Brentford on Thursday.

If the title race was ignited by Bernardo Silva and Erling Haaland on Merseyside, City maintained their momentum against Fulham. In the first half, three goals within 15 minutes from Antoine Semenyo, Nico O’Reilly, and Haaland propelled Pep Guardiola’s team to a comfortable 3-0 victory.

Any Arsenal supporter hoping for a misstep likely switched off the television by halftime. Mikel Arteta’s squad responded to their first significant challenge of the run-in by defeating Leeds United 4-0 at Elland Road, just a week after their loss to Manchester United.

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City, at the very least, is ensuring that Arsenal must confront the question of whether they possess the resilience to secure the league title for the first time in over 20 years. Brentford, with only two home defeats all season, presents a challenging environment under any circumstances, particularly when the focus is heightened.

This is a critical moment for Arteta and his players, although Guardiola declined the opportunity to increase the pressure during his post-match press conference.

“We were not nine points before Anfield, we are not three points before Brentford and Arsenal, after that we will see,” Guardiola stated.

“I always emphasize the importance of growth, growth, growth.

“It’s about how we can maintain consistency over 90 minutes, how we can improve, and the players feel that [they are] executing our game plan.

“‘We can do it’ in terms of mentality and patterns defensively and offensively. We are achieving that.”

This iteration of City — still integrating new players and concepts — may never exude the same invincibility as the treble-winning side or the team that amassed 100 points. However, there is a growing sense that progress is being made.

Rúben Dias was fit enough to start against Fulham after being sidelined for over a month due to a muscle injury. Following Guardiola’s concerns that too much of the scoring burden was falling on Haaland, Semenyo has joined from Bournemouth and netted five goals in eight appearances.

Haaland was substituted at halftime — “niggles” were mentioned by Guardiola afterwards — but not before netting his first Premier League goal from open play in 2026. Rodri has started six of the last eight matches. Nico González, his backup, has returned from injury. John Stones, absent for more than two months, has made his comeback.

During December and January, Guardiola’s bench was often filled with academy graduates. Against Fulham, he had Tijjani Reijnders, Omar Marmoush, Rayan Cherki, Abdukodir Khusanov, and Rico Lewis available as substitutes. Jérémy Doku is expected to return from a calf issue in March, and Rayan Aït-Nouri is in his best form since transferring from Wolverhampton Wanderers in the summer.

Of course, none of this will matter if Arsenal continues to win. However, as the date of the clash between the top two at the Etihad in late April approaches, with City still within reach, the potential for nerves to surface increases.

It was well-timed, therefore, for City to deliver what Guardiola described as one of their finest performances of the season.

“A really good performance, one of the best,” Guardiola remarked.

“Following Anfield, it is crucial to perform well after such emotional matches because the next one is always challenging. I’m very pleased with the players’ performance and the results.

“We were united, more composed with the ball, we executed inside and outside. After the physical and emotional demands at Anfield, it was difficult, but we communicated extensively, and I told the guys, ‘We have to do it again,’ and we accomplished that.”

Task completed for City, and now the focus shifts to Arsenal. Guardiola is cautious about engaging in mind games at this stage, but he has enough experience to recognize that we are entering a pivotal part of the season. Following the FA Cup match against Salford City on Saturday, City will face three teams from the bottom six — Leeds, Nottingham Forest, and West Ham United — in their next four league fixtures.

During the same timeframe, Arsenal will encounter Chelsea at home and travel to Tottenham Hotspur and Brighton & Hove Albion. Following that, the Carabao Cup final will see Guardiola and Arteta face off in a Wembley warm-up before the Premier League conclusion. The elements are in place for an exhilarating finish.

A contest that appeared nearly settled at one point on Sunday is now very much alive.

VAR review: Why didn’t Foden get sent off for a foul on Bassey?

Andy Davies (@andydaviesref) is a former Select Group referee, with over 12 seasons on the elite list, working across the Premier League and Championship. With extensive experience at the elite level, he has operated within the VAR space in the Premier League and offers a unique insight into the processes, rationale, and protocols that are delivered on a Premier League matchday.

Manchester City 3-0 Fulham

Referee: Paul Tierney
VAR: Neil Davies
Time: 65 minutes
Incident: Possible red card by Man City attacker Phil Foden

What happened: Fulham’s Calvin Bassey moved away from Manchester City’s Phil Foden, and the City attacker stepped on the Achilles of Bassey with a degree of force, not attempting to play the ball. The referee issued a yellow card for the challenge.

VAR decision: The challenge by Bassey was reviewed and cleared. The VAR concluded that Foden’s challenge was only reckless.

VAR review: This was a swift check by VAR Neil Davies, who was confident that the challenge did not meet the criteria for serious foul play. He reviewed and cleared the tackle promptly.

Verdict / Insight: An incorrect decision by both the on-field referee and VAR in my view, and one that both will likely regret upon review. Foden, with no chance to win the ball, nor did he attempt to do so, stamped on the Achilles of Bassey in a challenge that clearly endangered the safety of his opponent.

The nature of the challenge was evident in real time, and thus both referee Paul Tierney and VAR Davies will be held accountable for a clear mistake. Foden was substituted shortly thereafter, which may suggest its own implications.